After the Fall
by Doc Lee
Summary: Set after 'The Climb' so expect MASSIVE spoilers for anything up to that point. Unable to sit still, Felicity takes action. Reviews welcome. Hope you all enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone had a great time over the festive period and will be rocking out 2014 in style :) since the end of 'The Climb' (so expect spoilers from then onwards) i've been trying to create a story that suitably follows on from the cliffhanger. This is the start of the story that I like the most out of the handful I've tried and I hope you all enjoy it as well.

It should only be a handful of chapters long, and I'm probably over half way to completing the story on my iPad, so I'm hoping that not only will it not take long to finish, but I won't end up with a 'When the fan gets hit' situation again.

As before, all constructive reviews and comments are not just welcomed, but encouraged. I truly find them to be a help when I'm in a funk, so the more the merrier :)

Disclaimer - The people that own Arrow are the people that own Arrow. I am not one of those people.

* * *

Nyssa stood in front of the large wooden doors, her hand gripping her bow tightly as she motioned for the doors to be opened. The rumbling echoed around the torch lit room and Nyssa hid the flinch that racked her when the bitingly cold wind blew through the growing opening.

The unannounced visitor stumbled in through the doors, their hands clamped to their side until they realised that the men Nyssa had ordered with her had surrounded them. Slowly the visitor's hands rose into the universal pose of surrender.

'Identify yourself,' Nyssa raised her bow and primed an arrow at the visitor's head, 'And reveal your intentions. We will not ask again.'

'Wait!' Hands scrambled for the thick hood over the visitors head and Nyssa's eyes widened at the familiar voice, 'I mean no harm to the League, even if I was capable of doing harm to anyone that is.'

'Felicity Smoak, Class of 09?' Nyssa wasn't a woman who was usually surprised by a situation, but when the visitor lowered their hood and pulled the mask from their face, the terrified expression on the young blonde woman's face was not at all what she'd expected.

'Yep,' Felicity waggled her fingers, 'Thats me. I, um, I'm here to... Well, I'm here to request an audience with your father.'

'Whatever it is that compels you to seek my father's court,' Nyssa stepped towards Felicity, 'Then I would suggest that you let it leave your mind, turn around and return to your home while he still allows it.'

'What compels me,' Felicity's face turned stony, 'Is to return to my home with the body of the man that I loved so I can give him a burial he deserves. I'm here to collect Oliver Queen's body.'


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the response to the first chapter.

Hope everyone has a fun time tonight :)

* * *

'What makes you think we will return Oliver's body to you and allow you to leave us?' Nyssa cocked her head a few minutes later, the raven haired assassin having guided Felicity into a smaller room.

'Because I can give you Malcolm Merlyn on a silver platter,' Felicity's eyes hardened, the joviality that Nyssa had enjoyed seeing during the Miracuru incident vanishing behind a veil of pain and anger she had seen in her own eyes in recent months.

'You are not a warrior Felicity Smoak,' Nyssa dropped her bow on a nearby table, 'Nor are you a skilled negotiator. You should be mindful of revealing your hand too soon in future.'

'I'm not here to cause trouble for anyone,' Felicity unzipped her thick artic weather jacket, 'I'm here simply to...'

'What is that?' Nyssa grabbed her dagger from her hip, her eyes glaring sharply at Felicity who flinched before glancing down at herself and the glimpse of metal under her jacket.

'A.T.O.M.' Felicity couldn't help but find the confusion on Nyssa's face comical, 'Advanced Technology Operating Mechanism... Well, it was when I started.'

'I do not understand,' Nyssa watched Felicity remove the jacket, revealing the frame that encased her body. Circling the blonde like a cat with a mouse, Nyssa took in the design, 'Why have you designed such a bizarre armour?'

'It's not armour,' Felicity shrugged, the thin metal frame moving with her, 'The US military have been testing a device with Queen Consolidated that enables the wearer the ability to carry heavier items for further and at a faster speed than if they were just wearing their uniform. This device takes that function and adds a few of the functions that A.T.O.M. Design... I've lost you haven't I?'

Nyssa blinked slowly, 'This device has no offensive features?'

'Just one,' Felicity quickly shook her head when Nyssa grabbed her dagger, 'If the sensor over my heart is cut or my heartbeat stops, then a signal is sent out to A.R.G.U.S. to nuke the position that the signal last emanated from. That's the only feature that could do anyone harm but it's more defensive than offensive. A fail safe if you will.'

'You do not trust us,' Nyssa sighed, 'A sensible decision Felicity Smoak. You will stay in this room while I speak with my father. His decision is final, so be prepared to leave at any moment. With or without Oliver Queen.'

Felicity slumped onto the small cot behind her when Nyssa shut the door to the room. The reality of her situation hit her and she had to bite her lip to quell the sob that hammered to leave her chest. She'd fought long and hard with Diggle and Roy when she'd decided to get Oliver back, both men telling her that she couldn't handle the week long trek over the Nepal mountains to the League's sprawling mountainside complex.

Of course, this had had the opposite effect on the determined woman and she'd spent the next two weeks pouring over the entire Palmer Technology server bank looking for anything and everything she could find to help her. A week after that, she'd nearly killed herself testing the suit when a short jump across the room had her flying hard into the far wall of the large, empty warehouse she'd found to do her tests.

Two days later, under the cover of visiting her mother, Felicity had boarded a Ferris Airlines flight to China, the suit safely locked in the hold. If things went her way, she had a week before the ruse was sprung and people started looking for her.

The door slammed open, Felicity nearly ending up clinging to a rafter at the shock and the realisation she'd been sat staring at the floor for an hour, and a member of the League stood menacingly in the open space, 'I am Sareb, you will gather your belongings and follow me.'

'Where are you taking me?' Felicity was relieved she wore the suit as she would have had to jog to keep up with Sareb's fast pace down the wide corridor. Sareb scoffed and continued leading her towards the destination.

'Oh..' Felicity gasped when she was lead into the biggest room she'd ever been in before.

'You are Felicity Smoak,' A middle aged man stood in the centre of the room, a cloak wrapped around his body. Instantly recognising him as Ra's Al Ghul, Felicity had to physically fight to keep walking towards the deadly man.

'I am,' The confidence in her voice surprised her, 'You are Ra's Al Ghul,' to her horror, she realised she was holding out her hand for him to shake, 'I'm honoured to be given an audience.'

Something that appeared to be humour flashed over Ra's face and he turned to give his daughter a look Felicity couldn't translate as she lowered her hand.

'My daughter told me you were a unique soul,' Ra's spoke quietly, but with a tone that conveyed his powerful status, 'You are here to recover your beloved's body.'

'Yes Sir,' Felicity replied, fighting the urge to curtsy for some bizarre reason.

'And yet you are not returning Ta-er Al-Sahfer to my daughter,' Ra's eyes narrowed slightly.

'Sara?' Felicity turned to Nyssa in shock, 'you want to bring her here?'

'She deserves to be with me,' Nyssa's voice held the grief Felicity knew too well, 'Beside me, but she is no longer of this world. I would have liked her to be buried next to my mother.'

'You never said anything,' Felicity was horrified, 'Nyssa, you... All you had to do was ask and we would have let you bring her home. Hell,' Felicity's arm waved around the room, 'With all these guys at your command, there's not anything any of us could have done to stop you if you'd gone and recovered her yourself.'

'Then I am making it a condition of the agreement,' Ra's brought Felicity's attention back to him, 'Return my daughter's beloved and you may leave with yours.'

'Agreed,' Felicity blinked, 'Oh... You want me to bring Sara to you before you allow me to take Oliver.'

'The failsafe you have devised shows you do not trust the League,' Ra's glanced at the metal that peeked out of the thick jacket around Felicity, 'This lack of trust is returned in equal amounts. Return Ta-er Al-Sahfer home and then, and only after then, you will be permitted to recover Oliver Queen and leave this place.'

'Okay,' Felicity pondered, 'I can do that.'

'Then Nyssa will return with you to accompany her beloved home,' Ra's turned and walked away, ending the conversation.

'The journey will take two days,' Nyssa stated, the assassin leading Felicity back to the small room, 'you must make the arrangements in Starling to have Sara ready to be brought back with us.'

'Wait,' Felicity stopped in the middle of the wide corridor, 'I can do one better, but I would need to make a phone call.'

SCENE

'FELICITY SMOAK!' Both Felicity and Nyssa winced at the level of fury in Barry Allen's voice, 'WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? Diggle's going out of his mind in Starling trying to find out where you've gone.'

'I'm in Nanda Parbet,' Felicity waited for the next explosion of noise.

'What?' Barry's voice dropped to a horrified whisper, 'How? why?'

'I chose to come here,' Felicity sighed, 'I'm trying to bring Oliver's body home but I need your help, along with Caitlin &amp; Cisco's.'

'I don't understand?' Barry replied. For the next twenty minutes, Nyssa stood by as Felicity and Barry started using words she did not understand, but knew that they were speaking in technological terms that held no threat to her or the League.

'How long until you can construct the chamber and place Sara inside?' Felicity glanced at the slightly glazed look on Nyssa's face.

'An hour,' Barry replied, 'it will take an hour to build the chamber and place your friend's body carefully placed inside, then it will take me about two hours to travel to your location... Which I'll need to have before I can come to you.'

'I will give you a series of co-ordinates to a neutral location that would serve as a suitable delivery site,' Nyssa spoke up and rattled off a series of numbers, 'Do you need me to repeat that?'

'Nope,' Barry's cheery voice echoed in the small room, 'I'll be at that location in around three hours.'

'Don't tell Diggle!' Felicity barked, the fear evident in her voice, 'Not yet. I know i have an epic ear bashing coming from him, but he's going to have to wait until I have Oliver back where he belongs.'

'Okay, see you in three hours,' Barry's relief at hearing from Felicity was audible before she cut the line.

'Three hours,' Felicity smiled warmly at Nyssa, 'Any chance of some food? I ran out of supplies two days ago.'

'And yet you still continued to Nanda Parbet?' Nyssa saw the younger blonde in a newer light.

'I...' Felicity seemed to deflate before Nyssa, 'I need to bury him. I need to do right by Oliver one final time.

'Sit,' Nyssa motioned to the cot, 'Rest. I will return with food shortly.'

Nyssa slipped silently out the room, glancing over her shoulder to see Felicity all but faceplant into the cot. The feeling of envy filled her as she walked away, the knowledge that Felicity was going to be getting the one thing that Nyssa ached for throbbed in her chest.

* * *

'I can understand why you guys live up here,' Felicity pulled her jacket tighter around her body, 'No one in their right mind is going to want to come up here.'

Nyssa turned and cocked an eyebrow silently.

'Good point,' Felicity chuckled. A beeping from her arm signalled the inniment arrival of the Flash, aka Barry Allen, and his precious cargo, 'Here he comes.'

'I just ran around the top of the Pacific Ocean!' Barry Allen bounced on his feet and threw his arms in the air in an imitation of Rocky around a small metal container.

'Barry!' Felicity scrambled to the container, her fingers flying over the small screen that sat on the side, 'did you not listen when I said to be careful with Sara?'

'I was careful,' Barry sighed, his attention focussing on the numerous armed men around the clearing, 'Um... What's this?'

'Not important,' Felicity sighed, 'The containment held firm, the coffin's still intact inside there.'

'I don't understand,' Nyssa stroked the top of the container, her eyes glistening, 'This...'

'This is the device that means that the coffin we buried Sara in wouldn't be affected by the forces generated by Barry's speeds,' Felicity explained, Barry vibrating his body to keep warm behind her, 'And that we can get Oliver and myself back to Starling in a similar manner.'

'You,' Nyssa pointed at a random guard, 'Ensure my beloved's body is interned beside my mother.'

'You're not going to be there?' Felicity shivered.

'I do not wish to have my last sighting of Ta-er Al- Shafer to be like this,' Nyssa's voice held her sorrow, 'I wish to remember her for what she was. The woman that carried my heart with her wherever she went.'

'I'm guessing I'm not going to be allowed to go with you two, so I'm going to split,' Barry jerked his thumb over his shoulder, 'I saw a lovely little restaurant about five minutes back that way, so gimme a buzz when you need me again.'

'Thank you,' Nyssa gave Barry a small bow, 'I am in your debt.'

'I'm sorry for your loss,' Barry sincerely replied before he zipped away.

'I get the feeling that any explaination for him will result in you using a number of long, complicated words I will never understand?' Nyssa seemed lighter as she lead Felicity back towards the path that they'd arrived in the clearing from.

'Simply put,' Felicity replied sombrely, the sudden realisation hitting her that she was about to be taken to Oliver's body, 'He was struck by lightning.'

'The last person I saw hit didn't end up looking like him,' Nyssa shook her head at the memory.

'I'm not sure my welcome will last long enough to try and explain Barry,' Felicity sighed, 'Are we going to see Oliver?'

'We are,' Nyssa nodded with a heavy heart as she lead Felicity away from her lover's remains to where the blonde's lover lay.

* * *

'He's in there?' Felicity felt her courage flee when Nyssa stopped outside a small door, the two women once again inside the warmth of the main building.

'He's in there,' Nyssa confirmed, 'But... I have deceived you.'

Felicity's eyes widened and she took a step away from the assassin, 'What did you do?'

'Do not fear me Felicity,' Nyssa smiled sadly, 'I have deceived you, but you are not in any danger. My father is over ninty years old.'

'He's... What?' Felicity's jaw dropped, 'but he doesn't look much older than forty?'

'Have you heard of the Lazarus Pits?' Nyssa saw the recognition flash in Felicity's eyes, 'Then you know that we have the ability to heal most wounds as long as the heart still beats.'

'Twelve hours after I watched my father drive his sword through his chest,' Felicity failed to stop the whimper, 'Then kick him from the mountaintop, I was given the task to recover Oliver Queen's body for a proper burial.'

'Why are you telling me this?' Felicity's gut churned, a suspicion creeping in alongside the pain that had the blonde itching to get inside the room.

'Because when we found him,' Nyssa dropped the bomb, 'Oliver Queen still lived.'

'He... He survived?' Felicity gasped, the metal suit under her artic weather gear the only thing keeping her standing.

'Barely,' Nyssa nodded, 'when my father was informed of this fact, he immediately ordered that Oliver be placed in a pit until he was healed, or dead.'

'Why?'

'There is an ancient decree that gives my father the power to absolve any feud the league has with a person or a group. My father altered the decree to automatically absolve the feud if the person my father battled on the mountain top still lived after twelve hours.'

'So the League won't be attacking Starling and the team?' Felicity stepped closer to the door.

'The feud against Oliver Queen and his sister is resolved,' Nyssa stated simply, pulling a surprised gasp from Felicity, 'Your beloved mumbles in his sleep. We know that Malcolm Merlyn drugged Thea Queen and controlled her into killing Ta-er Al-Shafer against her will. Sara would often talk about Thea Queen,' Nyssa smiled sadly, 'She told me of the young woman's laugh and the nights she was tasked to watch over her when she was a child.'

'We also recovered a small recording device among Oliver's belongings that show Malcolm Merlyn admitting to his plot,' Nyssa's voice dropped to a dangerous hiss, 'And to forcing Thea Queen into actions beyond her control.'

'I'm so sorry Nyssa,' Felicity sniffled, 'Sara... She...'

'Lived her life,' Nyssa reached out and gripped the handle on the door beside her, 'My time with her was brief, but she made me... More than I was and I will never be the same woman I was. Her loss will stay with me until my last breath, where I will be reunited with her in the next life.'

'Your beloved lives,' Nyssa swung the door open and stepped back, 'Do not waste a single moment Felicity Smoak, for it may be gone before you can imagine.'

Felicity stood in the open doorway, her heart seemingly trying to perform an Alien imitation as she stared at the human shaped lump on the bed at the far end of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

And here we go. Hope you enjoy this one as I've re-written it twice to try and get it right. Probably just got a chapter or two left in this before I hit the end. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer - The people that one Arrow are the people that own Arrow. I am not one of those people.

* * *

'Oliver?' The terror that filled Felicity as she stepped into the room left her unable to hide the wobbled of her voice, 'Oliver?'

'God,' Oliver Queen groaned. He rolled over and peered through bleary eyes at the two shapes in the room, 'Not time for that green gunk again is it?'

'Oliver, it's me,' Felicity tearfully smiled and reached for his hand, 'I'm really here.'

The blank look on Oliver's face was starting to scare her when he flinched, shock and horror in his eyes, 'NYSSA!'

'You called,' Nyssa deadpanned.

'What the hell is going on?' Oliver groaned, Felicity jumping into action when he struggled to sit up, 'You gave me your word!'

'We have not moved against Starling or your friends,' Nyssa watched with interest at how Felicity moved around Oliver's chest, her hands and eyes searching his already marked skin for new injuries, 'Just as we vowed.'

'But...' Oliver's voice hitched when the cold fingers brushed over a sensitive spot on his back, 'Why is Felicity here?'

'Your beloved trekked across the wilderness to retrieve your body,' Oliver's face went slack and he turned to Felicity, 'it takes a lot to surprise me Queen, so do not take my comments lightly when I say that I was shocked to find the traveller walking into our compound was your Felicity.'

'What the hell do you think you were doing?' Oliver growled, the assassins forgotten as he gripped Felicity's wrist, 'And what the hell are you wearing?'

'I think it is my cue to depart,' Nyssa's lips twitched, 'Remember Queen, you are still healing. I will be most displeased if you were to undertake any activities that compounded outer efforts for your recovery.'

With that, the heir to the Demon turned and left the room, closing the door firmly behind her.

* * *

Silence reigned in the small room, both of it's occupants staring at each other as they tried to comprehend the existence of the other in the room. Neither had expected to see the other alive again and now that they were breathing the same air, neither Oliver nor Felicity knew what to say to each other.

'You look hot...' Oliver murmured, a laugh bubbling up at the expression on Felicity's face, 'I meant literally. That gear must be sweltering in here.'

'Oh...' Felicity shuffled to a nearby chair and unzipped her Jacket, her eyes barely leaving Oliver's as the thick clothing was dumped on the floor.

'What the hell is that?' Oliver pointed at the metal frame over her body, 'Is that the O.M.A.C.?'

'It,' Felicity popped a boot off with a sigh, 'It was. I kinda stole... I mean borrowed some other patents in the Queen Consolidated and Palmer Technology servers and built this. I know you hate long technical speeches, so I'll keep it brief. I can carry about double my body weight further and faster than if I wasn't wearing the suit. I'm also more agile in it. The first time I tried a jump, I went straight across the warehouse in a single bound.'

'Why?'

'Why what?' Felicity wiggled her toes, relieved to be able to get her feet out of the tight boots.

'Why in Gods name did you build that and come after me?' Oliver barked, his arm wrapping around his chest as his body protested the strain, 'I was dead.'

'Don't you think I didn't know that?' Felicity snapped, 'That goddamn bastard stood in the middle of the lair and just dumped the news on us all with his frakking smug smirk. He ripped my heart out and then he left.'

'You think you deserve pain and suffering Oliver,' Felicity sat forward, her eyes boring into his, 'to have your death mean nothing...'

'It meant Thea was safe!' Oliver roared, 'She was safe! YOU WERE SAFE!'

Oliver stumbled to his feet, Felicity jumping to her feet as he limped towards her.

'I did not go through all of this to have you stroll into the goddamn lair of the most dangerous group of people in the entire world,' Oliver's forehead throbbed as he bellowed, 'Just to drag my corpse back to Starling so my sister can be the last of the Queen family?'

'How the hell did you get John to...' Oliver groaned at the defiant look on Felicity's face, 'Of course. He told you not to do this, but you did it anyway.'

Oliver hobbled across the room, scrubbing his hands over his face, 'Why couldn't you have stayed in Starling?'

'Because you weren't there,' Felicity's chin wobbled, 'Because I needed to see with my own eyes that I'd lost my chance at...'

'At what?' Oliver threw his arms out wide, 'Leaping into danger every Wednesday? You have Roy and John for that.'

'And they have their frakking hands full trying to stop Laurel from killing more people in her sister's name!' Felicity shouted, 'She's got it in her head that she can take over the role you had. She's out there almost every night and it's taking John more time clearing up her mistakes when she's on patrol than he is helping Roy try and keep the Arrow alive in Starling.'

'I loved you!' Felicity felt the fight leave her at the shout and she slumped back down onto the cot, 'I still do. When Merlyn told us you were dead I didn't want to believe him. I needed to see with my own eyes. I needed to tell you... Even if all I could do is tell it to your grave.'

'Tell me what?' Oliver winced as he sat on the cot next to Felicity.

'I love you,' Felicity shrugged, 'If it wasn't so frakking obvious to everyone, but I love you and I'm sick of it.'

Oliver felt the bottom of his world fall out at the defeated look in Felicity's eyes.

'I can't... I can't carry on like this,' She pulled her glasses off and swiped at her eyes, 'I'm tired of letting you hide away. I'm tired of you being so goddamn scared to see me standing right here willing to give you everything I have for you.'

'You think you don't deserve good things?' Felicity stared at Oliver, her eyes full of fire, 'You think you've done so much bad that you don't deserve a happy ending? That's complete bullshit.'

'You died!' Felicity's voice hitched, 'You died to save your sister. You died to protect innocents... You chose...' a sob cut into the intensity of the room, 'You chose to die to save others. God Oliver, for that alone you deserve everything.'

'You deserve me,' Felicity's eyes pleaded with Oliver, 'You deserve to be happy.'

'I don't know how to be,' Oliver admitted, his voice barely a whisper.

'Then let me show you,' Felicity gripped Oliver's hand tightly, 'When we get back to Starling, then you need to let me show you how Oliver, because I can't continue like we were.'

'I...' Oliver felt his hand start to shake under Felicity's, the fear that he carried around with him fighting to take over, '... Okay.'

'Okay,' Felicity's smile was blinding.

'I'm going to mess up,' Oliver admitted, 'I'm going to get it wrong and I'm going to make things awkward or...'

'How is that going to be any different to normal?' Oliver gawped at the tease, Felicity's giggle filling him with a warmth he never thought he'd have again, 'We'll be okay. Just as long as we can get out of here first.'

'The little old lady that slathered this green gunk on me,' Oliver motioned to the green patch on the bandage that wrapped itself around his torso, 'said that I was almost healed, but there's no way I can walk out of here just yet.'

'Good thing I've got an idea on getting you home,' Felicity smirked, 'What would you do without me?'

'For one, this.' Oliver ducked his head and pressed his lips over Felicity's in a brusing kiss.

* * *

'Dude,' Barry Allen couldn't stop staring at Oliver across the canister as he watched him approach with Felicity hovering nervously, 'How?'

'It's a long story I'd rather tell when I'm safely secured in a comfortable warm building instead of out in the freezing snow,' Oliver shivered, the feel of the hot paste on his body seeping through him not stopping the wind from affecting him, 'So how does this work?'

'Oh!' Barry's face split in half, his hands moving humanly quickly over the grey canister, 'This is beautiful. Cisco and Catlin were able to use force field technology to create a fully stable transportation device. To put it simply, it's a box inside a box.'

'Box-ception!' Oliver scoffed and grinned when Felicity poked her tongue out at him.

'The internal box is stabilised to a massive degree by the force field systems,' Barry lifted the lid, revealing a container seemingly floating in a pool of flickering light. Barry reached in and moved the floating box around, 'I can jostle it about and the contents aren't affected. It was how I was able to bring Sara here.'

'Thank you Barry,' Oliver reached over and gripped Barry's shoulder, the depth of his gratitude clear to the younger man, 'Thank you.'

'Any chance we could get a little of that goo?' Barry awkwardly pointed at Oliver's chest, 'If we could reverse engineer our own version it would make our lives a lot better and maybe change medicine as a whole.'

'I'll see what I can do,' Oliver grinned and turned to Felicity, his smile dimming when he saw the way she was staring at the small space, 'What's wrong?'

'It's going to be a tight fit,' Felicity ran her fingers along the edge, 'A very tight fit.'

'Good,' Oliver's tone pulled Felicity's attention to him, 'Means I get to hold you for however long we're being towed behind the human outboard motor here.'

'Hey!' Barry chuckled, the rapport between the two vigilantes still intact.

'Isn't that what this is for?' Oliver smirked, 'You doing your Jesus impression and jogging across to the States?'

'Behave,' Felicity poked Oliver's shoulder.

'You should listen to your beloved Queen,' Nyssa approached the group, 'It is a known fact that they are always right.'

'What did your father say?' Felicity stepped in front of Oliver, 'He's still letting us go?'

'Have no fear Felicity Smoak,' Nyssa smiled, 'you are still free to go, but we have one stipulation. Malcolm Merlyn is to be handed over to the league within thirty days, or we will be take matters into our own hands.'

'Dead or Alive?' Oliver's voice dropped to a dark level.

'We would prefer Alive if possible,' Nyssa nodded.

'And if not?' Felicity nervously asked, 'What happens then?'

'Then you will have saved us the hassle,' Nyssa signalled to a nearby league member, who stepped forward and dropped the gear that both Oliver and Felicity had carried on their arrivals, 'But this time Queen, make sure he's dead.'

'That is not a mistake I'm going to make twice,' Oliver huffed, 'Even if we have to cut off his head for you.'

'That sounds...' Felicity grimaced, 'Drastic.'

'But required,' Nyssa stated simply, 'Your time with the League is complete. I hope our next meeting will be on friendly grounds. I wish you safe travels.'

Nyssa gave Oliver and Felicity a quick bow and, as quickly as she had appeared in the clearing, she melted into the darkness.

'I guess that's that.' Barry snorted at Felicity's mutter, Oliver smiling at the blonde.

* * *

'This isn't so bad,' Felicity sighed contently. The rocking of the container had lulled both inhabitants into near sleep. Her face was smushed against Oliver's shoulder and she had forced herself not to think about the pressure on her leg from his waist, but there was nowhere else she wanted to be at that moment.

'It has it's advantages,' Oliver smirked, 'Though I wouldn't mind a little more room in here.'

'Tough,' Felicity shifted her head, the thumping of Oliver's heartbeats against her cheek reassuring her that she wasn't dreaming, 'I think we've both earned this hug.'

'Not what I mean,' Oliver shifted his hips and chuckled at the squeak that left Felicity's mouth.

'You are evil Oliver Queen.'

'But you love me anyway,' Felicity hummed.

'I do,' Oliver pressed his lips to Felicity's head, 'Now go to sleep. I'll wake you when we get to Starling.'


	4. Chapter 4

Almost there. Just this chapter and one more to go, though that one is almost complete already it's got a sequence that had been in my head for weeks and it's flowing well so far.

Again, hope you all enjoy. Reviews are encouraged :)

**(thanks to the guest reviewer that pointed out a small goof) **

Disclaimer - the people that own Arrow are the people that own Arrow. I am not one of those people.

* * *

'Thanks Barry,' Oliver went to shake the younger man's hand, but found himself being hugged.

'Don't do that again Oliver,' Barry's face was joyful, but the pain in his eyes matched his tone, 'Don't need any more losses.'

'I'll do my best,' Oliver nodded. Barry Allen stepped back, gave Felicity a wide grin and vanished in a streak of red.

'That's never going to get old,' Oliver chuckled and turned to smile at Felicity, only to see her with an look of fear on her face as she heaved the heavy duffle bag containing the suit over her shoulder. His eyes started darting around the open space in front of Verdant, Barry dropping the two off at the club on Felicity's request, 'What is it?'

'John's going to be angry,' Felicity bit her nail, 'Like, steam out the ears, exploding head angry. He told me I was mad for thinking this would work, that I could get your body back. I didn't tell him at all that I'd left, the first that knew was Barry when I contacted him to get Sara's body moved to Nanda Pardet.'

'So he's going to scream at you, then hug you to death.' Oliver took Felicity's hand and gently lead her into the club.

'HARPER!' Thea Queen's voice screeched across the empty dance floor, 'Where's that crate of whiskey you put back here?'

Oliver let out a heavy sigh of relief when he saw his sister's head appear over the top of the bar, exasperation clear on her face, 'Thea!'

'You asshole,' Thea glared, anger seeping from her as she stalked around the open end of the bar and across the dance floor, 'You should have told me what you were doing!'

'They told you,' Felicity gasped, 'Roy or Diggle?'

'Roy,' Thea stood before her brother, her eyes aflame, 'I accosted him here a few nights ago to try and find out why he was avoiding me again.'

'You,' Thea slammed her fist into Oliver's arm, 'You had no right to decide for me. I should have gone with you to account for Sara's death. She died at my hands, not yours.'

'I'm never going to apologise for doing everything in my power to keep you safe Thea,' Oliver's voice lowered near to the growl he used as the Arrow, 'Not while I have breath left in me. So don't bother trying to change that.'

'How are you still alive?' Thea whimpered, 'Malcolm said you were dead.'

'It's complicated Speedy,' Oliver sighed, 'I think it's best that I wait until we're all together before I try and explain what happened, but I can promise you that the League will not be taking action against the team or Starling in general.'

'I killed her Ollie,' Thea threw herself at her brother, her voice filling eith emotion, 'I killed Sara.'

'The hell you did,' Oliver wrapped Thea up in his arms, 'You were manipulated and forced into an action you had completely no control over. You are not to blame.'

'I'm sorry Ollie,' Thea wept, 'I've been so stupid. Why is my life so messed up?'

'Because life is a fickle mistress who enjoys fu...' Oliver's ironic huff was interrupted by the loudest bellow he'd heard in years, the urge to flinch almost overwhelming.

'FELICITY MEGHAN SMOAK!' John Diggle's forehead throbbed dangerously, his face murderous, 'WHAT IN ALL THAT IS HOLY DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING? We have been worried positively out of our freaking minds!'

Thea squeaked and scrambled behind Oliver as the man mountain stormed across the dance floor.

'I'll deal with you in a minute Oliver,' Diggle growled absentmindedly at the amused archer and turned his attention on the blonde standing defiantly before him, 'Do you have any idea just how goddamn worried we've been?'

'John,' Oliver smirked, despite the rage pulsating from the former soldier. A large finger shot up and Thea started giggling at the silent command.

'I thought you had lost your mind when you told me about your plan,' Diggle's firm voice was met by a growing smile on the shattered woman's face, 'And then to discover that you'd flown to freaking China after EVERYONE had told you that you were...

'John,' Oliver tapped Diggle on the shoulder.

'Oliver!' Diggle spun and speared him with a hard glare, 'will you let me... Oh.'

The melodic sounds of Felicity's laughter was mixed with Thea's loud giggles, the women enjoying the sight of John Diggle lost for words. Oliver wrapped his arm around Diggle in a man hug, one that was returned after a moment of astonished inactivity.

'My God,' Diggle's voice hitched, 'what the hell?'

'I'm alive John,' Oliver coughed with the pressure on his chest from Diggle's vice grip, 'Though not for long if you don't let me breath.'

'Merlyn said you were dead,' Diggle's eyes were suspiciously damp when he let Oliver go.

'He was wrong,' Oliver wobbled, the exertions of the day starting to take it's toll, 'Any chance we can continue this where I can sit down?'

'Roy's down below,' Thea narrowed her eyes at her brother, 'Which I found to be a bit irritating to find out what was going on down there when I was let inside. That's where you were sleeping for months on end?'

'I have issues being able to sleep Thea,' Oliver winced, Felicity slipping under his good side and helping him across the club, 'sleeping down there at least gave me the chance to keep honing my abilities if the insomnia hit.'

The sounds of Arrows being fired met Oliver when the hidden door was opened and he gulped down the lump in his throat at being home as he was helped down the metal staircase.

'Dig!' Roy Harper as he appeared out from the partitioned target zone, 'Where did you move the dummy arrow heads?'

'Second drawer on the right,' Diggle grinned when Roy spotted Felicity. The young man took two steps towards the group before his fury turned to shock and he dropped to to mat covered floor in a dead faint.

'Anyone would think he'd just seen a ghost,' Oliver grinned, only to receive groans in return, 'What?'

* * *

'Let me get this straight,' Roy held the ice pack to his head, the lump throbbing painfully, 'You were stabbed through the chest with a machete, was Sparta'd off the mountain top and you still managed to survive a night in freezing conditions?'

'Isn't that what I just said?' Oliver leant back in the chair and grinned, 'Maybe that knock to the head did some damage after all.'

'Ha, Ha,' Roy deadpanned, 'How the hell did you survive all of at?'

'I had a good incentive to stay alive,' Oliver reached over and gripped Felicity's hand, the woman blushing furiously, 'Plus I think it was so cold that my half naked body just shut itself down and I kinda went into some sort of stasis.'

Thea leant over the back of Oliver's chair and kissed her brother's cheek, 'I don't care how, I'm just glad he's home and we don't have to worry about the League targeting us.'

'Pizza's arrived,' Felicity waggled her phone at Thea, the two women jumping away from Oliver, 'You coming Roy? I can't guarantee that the pineapple will survive down here if you don't help us carry it all.'

Oliver grabbed Felicity's arm and tugged her back to him, earning a dramatic gagging noise from Thea when the kiss he initiated went on longer than she was comfortable with.

'Just go get the pizza Thea,' Oliver laughed. A small bottle of soda appeared before him as he watched Felicity disappear up the staircase, 'I'm so looking forward to when I can have a beer again.'

'How long?' Diggle slouched in the chair vacated by the resident IT genius.

'Three weeks,' Oliver groaned, 'Something about the herbs reacting badly to alcohol in general. I'm sorry.'

'What for?' Diggle took a swig of his drink.

'I listened to him,' Oliver picked at the label on his bottle, 'I listened to a goddamn mass murdering psycho and asked how high when he said to jump.'

'Lesson learnt,' Diggle shrugged, 'Though I'm not kidding when I tell you that I'm not letting you hurt Felicity again. I don't know if I'll ever forget the sound of her breaking down in here, It's one of the most painful experiences I've ever had... And I've been shot in the ass before.'

'What?' Oliver scoffed, 'You haven't?'

'Accidental discharge at a roadblock by a colleague,' Diggle's tone told Oliver he wasn't joking, 'I doubt his feet even touched anything solid before he was back stateside being given all kinds of hell.'

'I saw her,' Oliver muttered after a moment. He glanced over to see the look of confusion being sent his way, 'The whole life flashing before your eyes thing. The last person I saw before I was kicked was Felicity, then I...'

Diggle waited as Oliver's mouth opened and closed silently.

'...I saw tommy,' Oliver exclaimed, 'I was sat in the tree we'd spend hours in during the summer as kids and he was in the exact spot that I remembered he would take as it gave him a vantage point into Sonya Greddick's older sisters bedroom.'

Diggle snorted into his drink.

'But the tree wasn't in the large Merlyn gardens,' Oliver frowned, 'I'm not entirely sure where it was. He told me he was proud of me, that he was proud of the man I'd turned into. He said he regretted calling me a monster and that he'd known I was lying when I told him I hadn't killed his Dad.'

'Which you didn't,' Diggle pointed out.

'Then my Parents were in the tree, along with Sara and...' Oliver had to force himself to keep talking, 'Shado. They were all around me. Mom leant over and kissed me on the head like she'd done when I was a kid with a nightmare and the next thing I know I'm waking up in a pool of goo in absolute agony.'

'I've no idea if that was real or if I was being affected by the blood loss and the Himalayan cold,' Oliver looked up when a trio of laughing, pizza carrying Team Arrow members burst into the lair, 'But it felt real.'

'What felt real?' Thea handed Diggle a box, quizzical eyes on her brother.

'I'll tell you later Speedy,' Oliver wrenched open a box and proceeded to inhale a third of a pizza in mere moments.

'Good to know that your latest near death incident hasn't killed off your appetite,' Roy pulled a pair of slices out of his own box.

'Behave,' Felicity mumbled around a mouthful of pizza.

* * *

'You want to what?' Felicity lay on the large, sinfully comfortable bed Oliver had in his bedroom at the apartment he shared with Thea a few hours later. The hard pull of exhaustion had tugged the couple to the larger bed, both seemingly collapsing onto it fully clothed as the events of the last few weeks finally caught up. They were asleep almost before they'd hit the mattress.

'I need to see Lance,' Oliver's fingers stroked over Felicity's t-shirt clad arm, 'he needs to know the reality Starling is going to be facing if we can't find Malcolm in time.'

'But that means we'd have to tell him why they're after him,' Felicity's concerned eyes lifted from the spot she was tracing with her fingers on Oliver's chest, 'And that Sara is gone.'

'I think he knows,' Oliver sighed, 'I think he knows in his gut that she's gone, but he's not had the courage to find out the truth incase he's correct. If we can't capture Malcolm inside the deadline, then we're going to have the entire focus of the League down on the city. It barely survived a bunch of mindless brutes, I'm not sure it can survive the League's full attention.'

'When?' Felicity yawned.

'Tomorrow,' Oliver failed to hide the wince as he shifted, 'We'll see him tomorrow when we've had some more sleep.'

'Good plan,' Felicity whispered, a gentle snore rumbling from her moments later.

* * *

'Okay,' Captain Quentin Lance warily eyed the couple sat across his desk, the door to his office firmly closed and the blinds drawn, 'This set up is giving me the willies. What's going on?'

'I'm the Arrow,' Oliver calmly spoke, Felicity barking her annoyance almost immediately.

'Really? No easing into it? Just slamming straight in there?' Oliver's twitching eyebrow had Felicity cringing.

'Good to know something's never change Felicity,' Lance chuckled, 'Though the next time you want to drop a bombshell on someone, make sure they don't already know beforehand.'

'You knew?' Oliver blinked in surprised, 'You've never given any indication that you knew.'

'Plausible Deniability,' Lance shrugged, 'Plus when I cared, I couldn't prove it. When you'd started becoming a force for good around here, I didn't care.'

'I see,' Oliver glanced over to see the framed photo of Laurel and Sara, both women grinning manically.

'So this is the official announcement then,' Lance seemed to shrink in his chair, 'Sara's dead, for real this time.'

'I'm so sorry Quentin,' Oliver felt Felicity's hand cover his, the shaking becoming apparent to him suddenly. Slowly and painfully, Oliver recounted the story in all it's horrific glory.

'I could feel something missing in me,' Lance reached for the photo, 'I knew she was gone, but I didn't want to believe it. Not when I saw Laurel's pain when I'd mention her sister, but it was Dinah's eyes that confirmed it. The hope was gone. The hope that had sat behind her eyes for years was gone and i knew.'

'Does Thea know?' Lance cautiously asked, concern in his voice, 'Is she aware of what was done to her?'

'She knows,' Felicity replied when Oliver couldn't, his hand shaking in hers, 'Do you...'

'Thea is as much a victim as my Sara was,' Lance sighed, 'I've heard of the toxin before, so I know that your sister had no control over her actions. It's Merlyn that needs to pay for my daughters death.'

'He will,' Oliver nodded, 'as I understand it, Merlyn will be taken to the edge of death repeatedly, and brought back by the pits until Nyssa decides to allow him death. The last person she gave this punishment spent six months before they were granted death.'

'Remind me never to get on the bad side of Nyssa Al Ghul,' Lance winced, 'But that sounds suitable punishment for him. Just grant me one wish before you ship him over there, let me deck the creature first.'

Oliver felt his lips twist up, the first smile since arriving at the station, 'That we can do.'

A tapping on the glass window interrupted whatever Lance was about to say, Laurel's voice heard on the other side. The older man saw the panic on Oliver's face, 'You've not told her yet?'

'Not yet,' Oliver shook his head and wobbled to his feet, 'There's been a long list of people that I've got to touch base with again and I'm still not exactly healthy. Laurel was going to be later today.'

'Then you should sneak out the back door,' Lance motioned to the other door, 'and I'll distract my daughter to let you escape... Never in my wildest nightmares did I ever think I'd willingly help Oliver Queen escape out a back door.'

Felicity didn't stop giggling until they were back at the Lair.


	5. Chapter 5

Final chapter. Have to admit I struggled with the first bit of this as I find Laurel quite tricky to write for and I very nearly didn't include her being told about Oliver's return because of that.

Thank you for the comments and all the faves and the follows.

Disclaimer - the people that own Arrow are the people that own Arrow, I'm not one of those people.

* * *

'Miss Lance?' Laurel looked up from the file before her at her assistant, 'she's not on the schedule, but I have a Felicity Smoak outside. She says that it's important that they speak with you.'

'She's back?' Laurel glowered. Her assistant shrugged, 'Yeah, send them in Connie.'

Pushing her chair back, Laurel turned and stared out the window across the city. Hearing the door open behind her, Laurel felt her anger at the small woman grow.

'Do you have any idea how it's been since you decided to run away on a fools errand?' Laurel heard Felicity sigh, 'Your two little followers have been making my life hell. The training has been brutal, especially with John. He's given me more bruises since you abandoned them and now you've realised the fruitless end to your quest, you've crawled back to what... Pick back off where you left it, conspiring with the other two to stop me being able to honour my sister.'

'I'm back because I did what I said I was going to do,' Felicity ground out, Oliver's eyes widening at the way the two women spoke to each other, 'I said I would bring Oliver home and I did that.'

'Olivers dead!' Laurel spun her chair around and thumped her desk.

'Almost,' Oliver wiggled his fingers in a waved hello, Laurel's face turning slack and her left eye twitching making him concerned for her welfare, 'Laurel?'

'You're not dead?' Laurel whispered, disbelief clouding her voice, 'Why aren't you dead?'

'Because he's a stubborn bastard,' Felicity squeezed his hand.

'There's a lot that needs to be said Laurel,' Oliver sighed, 'A lot that you need to understand, but you're not going to like a lot of it. I've seen what's been going on in my absence and it's going to stop.'

Oliver stood and rounded the desk, Laurel's blank expression following him as she stood.

'Come to the club later,' Oliver softened his voice, the tears in Laurel's eyes showing just how close she was to losing her control. He reached out and tugged her to him, the embrace lasting only a moment before he stepped back, 'It's best that we talk further there.'

'Okay,' Laurel whispered. She was still standing with her wide eyes locked on the door when her assistant nervously entered the office ten minutes later.

* * *

The loud voices echoed around the Lair, Laurel and Oliver standing almost toe to toe despite their shouting.

'You need to learn control Laurel!' Oliver cried out, 'I've seen the results of your patrols. You've caused more problems than you've solved out there!'

'I need to honour my sister Oliver!' Laurel barked, 'You just attempted to sacrifice yourself for yours, so why can't you understand what I'm trying to do?'

'They're still at it?' Thea winced, her eyes nervously peeking over her shoulder. Despite the circumstances of her drugging, the young woman still felt guilty of Sara's murder and it had made being around Laurel uncomfortable to say the least.

'Two hours so far,' Felicity turned from the monitor before her, the search for Malcolm Merlyn already well underway, and pulled the earbud from her ear, 'I tuned them out about ten minutes in. Roy's out with Diggle in the suit if you're wondering where they are.'

The breath was suddenly squeezed out of Felicity's body by Thea's arms wrapping around her, the younger woman hugging her tightly, 'I never said it last night, but thank you.'

'What for?' Felicity awkwardly returned the embrace by gripping Thea's arm.

'What you did was brave,' Thea winced at the sound of the argument, 'you quite literally walked into the Demon's lair willingly. That sort of devotion is rare these days.'

'He'd have done it for me,' Felicity caught Oliver's eye, the two losing themselves briefly in each other's gaze until Laurel poked Oliver's good side and he gave her a dangerously dark glare, 'Heck. He did it for you, going all that way to do what he did was to make sure that Ra's didn't unjustly take action against you for what Malcolm did to you.'

'He made that journey for blood,' Thea quietly spoke, the conflicting emotions in her voice hard for Felicity to pin down, 'You made it for love.'

'He deserved more that what Malcolm told us,' Felicity reached over and tapped on her keyboard. Pulling the younger Queen off her, she stood and grabbed her tablet and purse, 'I need to get out of here, wanna go get a big belly?'

'I'm paying,' Thea held up a finger when Felicity objected, 'Hey, don't say no. I owe you so much right now that a few dollars spent on one of their burgers is literally nothing. I owe you my family.'

'Make it a double cheeseburger with extra cheese and we're even,' Felicity caught Oliver's frustrated attention and waggled her hand between herself and Thea, then pointed to the stairs.

Oliver silently pleaded with Felicity not to leave him to Laurel's continued arguing, but Felicity winked and stuck her tongue out, a promise to make it up to him later sent his way. Even after the doors to the Lair had closed, the faint sounds of the argument could be heard through the floor.

* * *

The sound of crashing bins rang out in the alleyway, heavy footfalls mixing in with harsh panting as a shadow stumbled in a puddle. Eyes that rarely knew terror were filled with it at the shapes that moved along the rooftops.

'You can't run Malcolm,' Oliver's voice echoed from behind him, the distortion from his modulator deepening him, 'You cannot hide from this. Your time has come for justice. Your time has come to answer for your crimes!'

Malcolm Merlyn skidded around a corner to find an open door, glancing over his shoulder he crashed through the door and stumbled across the empty storage unit towards the flashing exit sign.

A sudden bright light exploded into existence over him, leaving him rooted to the spot and reaching for the bow he'd dropped minutes earlier.

'Malcolm Merlyn,' Oliver stepped into the light, his bow compacted in the pouch he carried it in, 'You have failed this city.'

'Starling failed itself!' Malcolm barked, his hand pressing against the minor wound on his side, 'This city decided to turn to pain and suffering of the majority so the minority could prosper. I did not fail any...'

'You failed everything,' Felicity appeared to Oliver's right side, the suit she'd worn to Nanda Parbet around her body, 'You failed the most important people you ever had. You failed Tommy.'

'I did nothing of the sort,' Malcolm barked, 'It was his decision to go after the Lance girl, rather than stand safe outside the Glades.'

'Your son died saving my life,' Laurel Lance appeared behind Malcolm, his shocked gasp reverberating around him at the black attire she wore, 'He died a far, far better man than you ever could be. He did not fail.'

'You also failed me,' Thea appeared on Oliver's left. The black League garb she'd worn when she'd stood beside her father had been replaced with a black suit similar in design to Oliver's, but with a dark yellow hood and a similar coloured arrow shape on her chest. Beside her stood Roy in his Arsenal gear, his bow in his hand. Beside him stood a young woman Thea had called Sin before, the expression of pure, unadulterated hatred aimed at him causing him to flinch, 'You drugged me. You violated my trust. Someone we all held dear is dead because you decided we were just pawns for you to use and throw away.'

'You murdered my daughter,' Malcolm froze at the cold calm voice behind him, the fury bubbling just under the surface. Turning to face Quentin Lance, he gulped at the sight of him dressed in his full ceremonial uniform, a simple thin black strip of cloth wrapped around his shield that hung on his chest, 'Like she didn't matter. You didn't fail me because I couldn't give one goddamn shit about you anyway, but you took my child from me.'

Malcolm stumbled back when Lance advanced on him only to find himself being pushed back into the centre of the light by Diggle.

'I'd like to kill you,' Lance was eerily calm as he stood before Malcolm, 'in fact, I'd really like to rip your worthless body apart bone by tiny bone, but I made someone a promise and I intend to keep it.'

Malcolm's head snapped back, the pain exploding across his face as his nose crumbled. Lance stepped away, a slight wince crossing his face as he flexed his hand.

'I know what's coming for you,' Lance icily grinned, 'I know exactly what will happen to you from now onwards and I'm pleased as punch that my little girl's killer is going to suffer such a fate. Goodbye Merlyn, enjoy hell.'

'Sara was Iike a mom to me,' Sin spoke softly, her voice filled with pain, 'She was there when no one else was. She kept me away from things that would have screwed me up and spat me out. I never got to tell her just how much I loved her and what she...' Sin's hand came up to cover her mouth and she spun into Roy's chest.

'You didn't just fail this city Malcolm,' Oliver stepped forward as Thea and Roy tried to comfort Sin, 'You failed us all. Every one of us that stands for good and decency in this world,' Malcolm skittered back from Oliver's reach, his eyes drawn to where the Flash and, to his confusion, a mechanical exo-suit clad Ray Palmer stepped into the light between Felicity and Thea, 'You failed those of us that want to keep people safe.'

'But there's one person above all of us that you failed,' Oliver's lips twisted up when he saw the realisation in Malcolm's eyes, 'one person that you betrayed above all others.'

'You failed me,' Nyssa Al Ghul's voice held a lethal promise, 'You failed the heir to the demon and you will now answer to the crimes you have committed.'

'You can't let her take me Oliver,' Malcolm pleaded, 'You think I'm a monster for what I did? I'm nothing compared to her.'

'It's either her hands or his,' Oliver pointed to where Lance stood, 'But you will pay for what you have done.'

'Take him!' Nyssa waved her hand and a multitude of League soldiers melted out of the darkness. Oliver stepped back and watched Malcolm's attempt to fight off the tide of strikes against him before he was lifted shouting and screaming into the air, his voice still echoing long after his captors had returned to the darkness.

'Thank you Oliver,' Nyssa's demeanour softened, 'You have kept your word, and we will keep ours. My beloved's murderer will be made to account for his crimes, but it can never bring Sara back to us.'

Nyssa turned sorrowful eyes to Quentin, 'I am forever humbled Captain Lance, I truly failed you. I vowed that I would die before I'd let anything happen to Sara...'

'You loved her,' Lance let out a low sigh, 'I saw it clear as day when you two were together. I know you would have moved heaven and earth to keep Sara with us. All I ask is that you make him suffer.'

'That is a promise I will be capable of keeping,' Nyssa bowed and turned to leave the group, her attention taken by a shaking Thea on the edge of the light, 'Thea Queen.'

Both Oliver and Roy tensed when Nyssa crossed to where Thea stood. Her hand reached up and stroked over her cheek, 'I hold no blame for Ta-er Al-Shafer's passing towards you. You are truly an innocent in what took place. You do not ever need to fear me or the league over these horrific events,' Nyssa leant down and pressed her lips to Thea's forehead softly, 'Sara's blood is not on your hands child, please remember that.'

'I'm sorry,' Thea whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

'Remember her smile,' Nyssa smiled warmly, 'Remember her laugh. Remember her in the good times and she will never be gone.'

And with that Nyssa Al Guhl, heir to the demon, slipped into the darkness.

'So do we just stand here like mugs or should we go find a warmer room to be silent with each other in?' Lance deadpanned after a few minutes of silence, none of the group able to move.

'Shit,' Felicity hissed, the tablet on her left arm raised, 'There's been a building collapse across town. Reports state a work crew struck a gas main with a digger, the almost immediate explosion bringing down the five story block.'

'Hell,' Lance grabbed his phone and started dialling.

'Who needs to get there?' Barry looked around the group.

'Me,' Felicity shrugged, 'The load bearing capabilities should be able to help the rescue crews...'

'We'll all go,' Oliver cut off what was going to be a ramble if the slight manic glint in Felicity's eyes was anything to go by, 'Team Arrow should be here to help the people of Starling no matter what the issue. Barry, if we can use you...'

'Sure,' Barry eyes Ray, 'Dare say you'll be suitable first dude.'

'I..' Ray started to talk but he was cut off when Barry sped away.

'Mask?' Oliver held out the disguise to Felicity as people started disappearing around them.

'Can't be identified on my first mission can I?' Felicity let Oliver place the deep red mask on her face, his hand cupping her cheek as he dipped his lips to hers. A gust of wind took Oliver away, leaving Felicity kissing thin air.

'Goddamn you Barry,' Felicity's face matched her mask as she grimaced at Lance and Sin. Another gust of wind took her, leaving the captain and the streetwise young woman alone in the warehouse.

'I could do with a coffee,' Lance sighed, 'Want one? I could regale you with the many times Sara tried to give me multiple heart attacks as a kid.'

'I'd like that,' Sin smirked, 'what did she do that made life so crazy?'

Lance wistfully smiled as he lead Sin towards where he'd left his car, 'There was this one time she decided to cannonball off the roof into my brother's pool. She was nine at the time...'

'Badass.'

* * *

'Earlier tonight a gas main exploded on the corner of Charleston and Franklin,' The anchor for the late night news bulletin stared out the TV, 'Resulting in the collapse of an apartment block. Casualties were at a minimum, only a handful of broken bones being the most severed injuries, as the SCFD and SCPD crews were assisted by the Arrow and a team of heroes. it was their tireless work alongside the rescue crews that prevented more serious injuries.'

The screen was filled with various clips of Team Arrow working with the rescue crews, the money shot of Oliver carrying a young child down from the rubble ending the segment.

'I think they're ready,' A face that had seen too much for a single lifetime turned to his rooftop companion, the brightly coloured outfit he wore not blending into the drab grey rooftops like the one worn by the speaker, 'don't you agree Kal?'

'They are rough,' Kal-El, known to the world as Clark Kent or Superman, hovered nearby, 'But they have promise Bruce. I do believe it is time to make ourselves known to Oliver Queen and his team.'

'Alfred,' Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, spoke into his comms device in his cowl, 'Ready the jet, it looks like I have some business to attend to in Starling City.'


End file.
